Vehicles used by a lineman in the maintenance and repair of electrical power lines must be grounded for safety reasons. The lineman typically connects one end of a cable to the frame of the vehicle and another end of the cable to either a grounding stake adjacent the utility pole or to a metal support structure for the overhead power lines. The cable generally lies loose in the vehicle when not in use and is subject to abuse and damage. The cable also must frequently be untangled before being extended for use. This is not only time consuming and cumbersome for the linemen, but also may be hazardous if the cable is damaged so as to prevent a large electrical current to pass safely to ground and such damage goes undetected.
The present invention addresses the aforementioned limitations of the prior art by providing a safe, reliable and convenient arrangement for grounding a vehicle, such as an electrical utility vehicle. The arrangement includes a grounding cable reel incorporating a slip ring having a large mass and high conductivity so as to serve as a heat sink and to conduct very large currents to ground in a safe manner.